(ECNS) - Two men in China were sentenced to prison for illegally obtaining and selling more than 900 million personal data records used in so-called "open-box" cyberbullying, the Supreme People's Court of China said.
The defendants, surnamed Lin and Wang, obtained the data through encrypted communication channels between 2023 and 2025 and sold the information for profit using virtual currencies.
Lin illegally acquired more than 600 million pieces of personal data, while Wang obtained more than 300 million.
The pair also helped build a database website containing more than 170 million personal records. The platform provided personal information more than 1,300 times and drew over 100,000 visits.
Lin was also accused of helping manage online chat groups that published insulting and privacy-violating content targeting individuals. The group reportedly had more than 2,000 members.
Lin was sentenced to seven years in prison and fined 70,000 yuan ($10,300), while Wang received a five-and-a-half-year sentence and a 50,000 yuan fine.
Chinese authorities have stepped up efforts to curb data breaches and online harassment in recent years.
(By Zhang Jiahao)
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